This will be the third consecutive game that Ratliff has missed because of a strained groin and the seventh game Ratliff has missed this season. Come Sunday, he will have missed more games (seven) than he’s played in this season (six).

Ratliff, 31, signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension with the Cowboys in September 2011 but is on pace to have his sack total decline for a fifth consecutive season. Ratliff has 10 tackles and no sacks this season in his six starts.

Ryan said injuries have hurt the Cowboys’ ability to consistently rush the passer this year. DeMarcus Ware leads the team with 10 sacks but he’s battled injuries all year.

“He was going great early, but he’s battling through everything,” Ryan said. “But so is [Anthony] Spencer. They are giving us everything they have. If the pass-rush hasn’t looked like it should, you know Jay Ratliff hasn’t even been out there. These other guys are playing. They are giving us everything they have. But we need to get after the passer. That’s no question.”

Josh Brent will start in place of Ratliff again against the Bengals. Brent forced a fumble on Sunday night against Philadelphia that cornerback Morris Claiborne returned 50 yards for a touchdown.

“He’s really matured as a player,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said about Brent. “He’s been a spot player for us in the past, a handful of snaps here and there in each of the ballgames, but because Ratliff has been out for a large part of the season, he’s played a lot more. He’s matured a lot. That can happen with players. You give them an opportunity to play more and some guys expose themselves and some guys rise up and become better players and prove to you that, ‘Hey, I can be a starter in this league.’ I think he’s shown that. He’s a natural nose tackle. He’s a two-gapping nose tackle, that’s the body type, but he’s also a pretty good athlete. He can make plays from side to side. I think he’s grown every week. I think he’s taken advantage of the opportunity we’ve given him.”